The Qualms of World Cup Qualification

Crunch time has come for national teams wishing to qualify for the World Cup that is slowly creeping up on us. Qualifying is an interesting process. We take the first few games our nations play lightly, knowing that the next World Cup is still some 3 years away and these first games are not really important; a tune up if you will after a long(and short) World Cup. Then, suddenly, we are staring qualification (or elimination for that matter) square in the teeth and we start wondering about the team sheets the managers are posting, we hastily compute what games we have to win and which ones we can afford to tie, and how many goals we have to score to progress to the next round of qualifying. It becomes a veritable game of Russian roulette (how about those Russians!); never knowing who is going to be injured when, clubs having as much say as they can in whether or not their players are “fit” enough to report to the national camps, wondering if your nation’s “Messi” is going to repeat his club form on the national level (which he did, by the way), and if you are going to have a French-style implosion when things aren't going your way. I have a couple thoughts on these issues as they stand right now (because they change all too quickly, right?)

The Invincible Spaniards

Spain. Oh, Spain. The Spain who can scythe through defenses with the flick of a boot, turns out to be the same Spain that can only accidentally score more than one goal per game. What’s the deal? We have a treble nation, the first nation to win the Euros, World Cup, and Euros consecutively, a nation that finally broke the curse that England is still suffering from, a team that seems invincible…. And that is where we find the problem. Invincibility always seems to be ever so ironic. It can become your own downfall. Consider Barcelona in last year’s Champions League Semi-final. Everyone (and I mean everyone) knew, whether they wanted to admit it or not, that mighty, invincible, Barcelona was going to be too much for brave little Chelsea; and then everyone stood dumbfounded as Chelsea won the first game, and scored two goals with a man down at the NouCamp. Similarly, at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009, everyone knew that Spain would be too much for brave little USA, whose run had been heroic, to handle. Then, USA won. Every team has cracks (Spain's defense…), some much smaller than others, and some not discernible to the naked eye, but they are there, if for no other reason than that a team cracks itself. Spain showed this by giving up a last-gasp tying goal against France on Tuesday. I have yet to see a team that lacks these cracks. Spain and Barcelona may be the closest at this point to eradicating them, but, then again, that’s when you are most vulnerable.

Our Procrastinating Nation

We move across the lake to the United States, who always seem to come through when it matters and when you least expect it, and then again, never seem to come through when it matters and when you least expect it. Yes, we made it to the Hexagonal. Yes, we showed the same clinical style to beat Guatemala as we did to get to the round of 16 in the 2010 World Cup. But it’s how we got to that point that deserves the talking. If we had won the games that we had every right to win earlier in the qualifying rounds, such as against Jamaica and Guatemala, we wouldn’t have been put in a win or die situation. Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t complain about being put in those situations, as we often seem to come through. We came through in the Confederations Cup in 2009 after losing to Italy and Brazil in the group stages. We came through in the WorldCup 2010 group stages after tying our first two games to beat Algeria and progress. And we came through on Tuesday night to win the game that could have potentially put us out of Qualifying. But I am not especially fond of this living on the edge, as it has been known to backfire. For instance, if we had taken the chances that we had and converted our massive advantage in possession into goals against Ghana in the round of 16 in World Cup 2010, we would never have found ourselves in an unpredictable extra time situation that ultimately spelled the end of our World Cup. Consistency is the name of the game for the United States right now if we ever want to compete at the highest level. We have a bad habit of waiting until we see what level the opposing team is at before we decide what level to play at ourselves, and often, although not always, it is too late. Our big players, Bradley, Dempsey, Donovan, don’t seem to have a problem with this concept; it is our fringe players that need to start delivering. I realize Klinnsman is still experimenting to see what works for him, but writing a consistent backbone of players onto the team sheet, especially at this point in World Cup qualification, would go a long way to cementing the consistency we desperately need to qualify and do well at World Cup 2014.

Prediction for 2014

One more note in closing concerning my predictions for World Cup 2014. I shouldn't even be doing this because it is a straight shot into the foot for anyone daring enough to make predictions concerning the outcome of the tournament in a year and a half. But, since when have I cared about making stupid predictions? I am all in for Spain to do well at this coming World Cup, and I think they will have a healthy chance of winning it all, but only if they learn to unlock their scoring, because nations are learning how to play their game. The United States can go far but it depends on two things: they must have a favorable draw and they MUST have Donovan, Bradley, Dempsey, and Bocanegra fit as well as an in form striker. I will reserve my comments on England for another day, but they have an EXCELLENT generation of youth about to break into the senior team. I don’t know about the rest of you, but the Summer of 2014 cannot come soon enough.

Joga Bonito

Dallin Lindstrom

What's Wrong With American Soccer (And What is Soon to be Right)

Before you pass this article over with the simple idea that the words "American" and "soccer" in the same sentence is what is wrong with American soccer, consider this: "More soccer is now broadcast in the United States than in England. The sport just has been revealed to be the second-most popular for Americans 12-24 years old, behind NFL." The bottom line is that even if Americans cannot come to love watching soccer, they are coming to respect it as a sport where real talent and heart are put on display. The problem? The skill level of our national team and league is struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of the growing soccer interest in our country. The result? People either think that soccer really is just meant for English pubs and little leagues or they begin to support other national teams and watch other country's leagues in place of our own.

So why not love Brazil for their style or bamboozling of opposing defenses with intricate and rapid offensive structure? Why not support Manchester United for consistently, whether expected or not, outclassing and, for the most part, outplaying every team they encounter? That's what soccer is all about right? I myself am a massive Chelsea supporter (if you hadn't guessed from my previous blog postings) and will probably never find the courage to support an MLS team more than I do the Blues. Call me a hypocrite. But, imagine to yourself playing high school football in front of your entire student body, but they are all dressed in the supporting team's colors and are all cheering your rivals on because they think you aren't good enough to be supported. Might it be slightly disheartening? And, to take it a step further, try to imagine anyone wanting to come play for your high school if such conditions existed. In my opinion, the only reason the likes of David Beckham and Thierry Henry have graced the pitches of our fledgling league is to get their taste of the "great American dream." They are old enough to not really make it in the big leagues of the world anymore, but can come play for the MLS, make more than guys half their age (and twice their athleticism, although not skill level) and party in the great cities of New York and Los Angeles!

Please do not misunderstand, I love our national team just as much as the next guy and my heart is broken each and every time they build up my hopes by miraculously beating the likes of a number one ranked Spain and then dash them again by losing, in the World Cup nonetheless, to the likes of Ghana. I will also watch MLS matches every time I get the chance, if for no other reason than that the screening of soccer on my limited cable package can be few and far between and I need to take all I can get. But it is also just as hard for me as the next guy to enjoy watching the tired legs of the Colorado Rapids play boot ball as much as I enjoy watching Eden Hazard beautifully back heel for a waiting Torres to meticulously weave an outside-of-the-foot shot through mobs of Newcastle players. Call me a traitor. One of our largest and most disturbing (because I see no possible and much less immediate solution) problems as American soccer lovers is that we are competing for athletic prodigies with baseball, football, and basketball; not to mention that volleyball, wrestling and track come before soccer on the majority of American's favorite sports to play lists. Compare that with Brazil or England or Spain or Italy or France or Ghana or (need I go on?)... where the ultimate measure of one's life is whether or not you can make it to play professionally and where more people believe in soccer as a religion than ecclesiastical institutions. Soccer gets the left-overs for the most part in America and the cream of the crop in every other country.

As much as I have been the bearer of bad news thus far, I am pleased to inform you that all is not lost. There are over 60 Americans playing in top leagues around the world. That does not include those playing in other leagues that are most likely better than the MLS but perhaps not considered a "top" league. That is where it begins. I understand the workings of Landon Donavon's soft heart and the reason he has not permanently moved to a more prestigious league; keeping our best players in our leagues is one of the main ways to make our league better. But it's not time for this yet. We need world-class talent from other countries as well. You won't be so offended by this statement if you think of the top players in the Premier League and then realize that the majority of them are not English. We must continue to grow our players in the most competitive leagues in the world to give them experience for when they play for our national team on a World Cup or even Gold Cup stage. Our biggest problem in these tournaments stems from our players not having huge tournament experience and choking when they are in front of 50,000 fans taking part in the largest sports tournament in the world against players making $1.8 million a year, compared to playing for Real Salt Lake in front of 17,000 against players making $154,000(although the median is just $80,000). As they experience La Liga and Champions or Europa league soccer they will continue to perform better on those national stages. As we become a powerhouse in national soccer, our domestic league will naturally follow suit. Better players from around the world will understand that the level of soccer in the United States has risen and they can find competitive soccer here as well. As much as I hate to admit it, a passion for the game is no longer the only thing driving professional soccer players; money talks. So, with a more competitive and in turn entertaining league we will attract more fans and sponsorship and television deals which will drive up revenue and consequently allow more money for transfer fees and salaries. This will continue to extend down into our semi-professional leagues, college and high-school soccer, as well as our development programs.

Soccer is on the rise in America, and no one is happier to see it than I am. It is going to take time, but to see the strides we have taken just within the past 5 years is incredibly heartening. The other day I saw two soccer plays on SportsCenter's Top 10. Also recently I saw SportsCenter cover the transfer of Robin Van Persie from Arsenal to Manchester United. Four or five years ago such would be unheard of. Nothing makes me happier than to know that the rest of America is catching on to what such a small minority of us know to be the beautiful game.

Joga Bonito

Dallin